


Studying Abroad

by Cratmang



Series: Oh Look, Another Raven House AU [2]
Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Child Abuse, Edric and Emira call Amity Choco-mint in this AU, Episode 1 Rewrite, Gen, Human Amity Blight, If you ask why the answer is because I said so, Raven House, swap au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:07:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27140860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cratmang/pseuds/Cratmang
Summary: Amity Blight is being sent to London to study abroad. Before she leaves, however, her parents thought it would be a good idea to encourage her to "grow up" by throwing away her collection of The Good Witch Azura books. One thing leads to another, and before she knew it, Amity wound up in the Boiling Isles, where she meets a witch known as "The Raven Woman" and her assistant.This work is a rewrite of Episode 1.
Series: Oh Look, Another Raven House AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1981126
Comments: 4
Kudos: 47





	Studying Abroad

**Author's Note:**

> As you can probably tell by the word count, this is a lengthy fanfic, despite being only 1 chapter (According to Google Docs, over 8000 words!). I tried to proofread it, but it's more than likely that something might have slipped through the cracks of my short attention span. Please feel free to point out any glaring issues in the comments. Thank you, and enjoy reading (or, if you're using a TTS program, listening)!

Amity looked under her bed. She reached and pulled out a long wooden chest that was roughly the size of a coffin. She undid the lock on the chest, and opened it. Inside was a small collection of books, most notably her diary. These books were some of Amity’s most treasured possessions, but aside from the diary, they were not what she was looking for. She took out the diary, then closed, locked, and slid the chest back underneath her bed.

She stood up, then looked at the bags lying on her bed. There was a large duffle bag that was filled with clothes, a backpack for her laptop, and a messenger bag for her books. 

She scratched her chin. There was one book that Amity really wanted to bring with her to London, but she couldn’t find it anywhere. She had searched the bookshelves of her room, her closet, the space between the bedframe and her mattress, even her bathroom.

She began wondering out loud, “Did Ed and Em take it...? Must be another one of their pranks. They know that it's my favourite book...”

She pulled out her phone, then began texting the twins:

> **Amity (you)**  
>  Did you two take The Good Witch Azura?
> 
> **Edric**  
>  Which book?
> 
> **Emira**  
>  We didn’t take any of your books, Choco-mint.  
> Well, I didn’t. I can’t speak for Edric.
> 
> **Edric**  
>  Nah, I didn’t take your books either.  
> Which book are you missing?
> 
> **Amity (you)**  
>  I was looking for the first book, but now that you mention it... all of them are missing.
> 
> **Edric**  
>  Again, we didn’t take them.
> 
> **Amity (you)**  
>  I’ve searched my entire room, I can’t find them anywhere!
> 
> **Edric**  
>  Chill, Choco-mint. We’ll help you find them before you have to leave.

At that moment, Amity heard her mother’s voice echo through the manor, calling for Edric and Emira. She then saw another text:

> **Emira**  
>  Right after we talk to mother.

* * *

  
Edric and Emira Blight ran straight to the foyer. 

“Don’t run inside the manor,” their mother said sternly.

The twins almost immediately slowed to a brisk walk, and entered the foyer. Their parents were standing at the door, waiting for a maid to bring them their coats.

“Is Amity still packing?” their mother asked.

“Yes,” Emira responded, “but she’s almost done.”

“She’s just looking for her book--” Edric elaborated before her mother cut him off.

“Excellent. The limo will be here to take her to the airport in three hours, at two o’clock sharp. Make sure that she has everything that she will need to study abroad in London. And I don’t want to hear about any of your mischief. This trip is vital to Amity and her education, and I don’t want her to be distracted from it by petty squabbles or irrelevant matters. Understood?”

The twins silently nodded.

“Good. Now, your father and I have an important business meeting to attend to, so--”

There was a loud cough.

The Blight family looked up to see their youngest member, Amity Blight, leaning over the banister of the second floor landing. The light above her illuminated her mint green-dyed hair, and her amber eyes almost seemed to glow. Mrs. Blight was strongly against Amity dying her hair, but her husband had persuaded her to let it slide. “It’s just hair dye,” he had said. “It’s not like she’s worshipping Satan, or dating other girls. She will grow out of this phase naturally.”

“Amity!” Her mother greeted the girl with a smile. “Have you finished packing?”

“Almost,” Amity replied, causing the mother’s smile to melt into a frown. “I just can’t find my collection of The Good Witch Azura Books.”

“The Good Witch Azura?” A scowl appeared on Mrs. Blight’s face as she struggled to remember something she had deemed unimportant.

“A collection of children’s fantasy novels,” Mr. Blight explained. “Our daughter had been collecting them, until I had them thrown out.”

“Oh yes, that’s right,” Mrs. Blight said as the memory came back to her, a smile spreading back across her face.

Amity was completely shocked. “You what!?” 

“Don’t shout, and don’t climb over the banister.”

Amity quickly descended the nearby spiral staircase, then continued to cry, “You threw them out!? But those were my favourite books! You can’t just--”

Her mother maintained a stern tone. “Those books are meant for children. You are no longer a child, and those books are a waste of your time. You need to toss aside such ridiculous notions of fantasy, and focus on your studies, now more than ever.”

“But I’m a straight A student!”

“A’s are not A+s.”

“Not to mention,” Mr. Blight commented, “your studies will only get harder from here on out. Of course, that’s the reason why we’re sending you to London. The schools there are very prestigious, and you will learn a lot from them. And you will have no time for stories about ‘magic.’” That last word rolled off of his tongue in a mocking tone, like anyone who believed in it was inferior as a human being.

“You see, Amity,” her mother said in a sickeningly sweet tone, “We are doing this for your own good. You will thank us when you are older. Now be a good girl, and give us a smile.”

Amity wanted to scream. She wanted to curl up into a ball and cry. But she knew that both would only make things worse. She bit her lip, took a breath, then gave her mother the kind of smile you would give to your parents when you didn't want to tell them that everything was, in fact, not alright.

“Good enough.”

A maid arrived carrying two coats. She gave one to Mr. Blight, then helped his wife into the second.

“Remember, two o’clock,” Mrs. Blight said again. “Your father and I will be back in time for supper. Have a good flight, Amity.”

The Blight parents walked out the front door. The Blight children watched as they walked into the back of a black car, and the chauffeur drove them away.

Once they had passed the gates onto the property, Amity let herself fall to the floor, and cried.

Edric and Emira tried to console their sister as best as they could. “Hey, hey, don’t cry,” Emira said with the gentle tone that their mother lacked. “The Good Witch Azura is a bestselling series, isn’t it? We can find you lots more copies of those books.”

“Or we could just dig through the trash,” Edric suggested.

Amity and Emira stared at their brother as if he had said something that was clearly insane.

“What? I’m serious. They can’t have possibly thrown the books out before today, or Choco-mint would have noticed they were gone. We’ll just quickly go down to the dumpster, fish out the books, then take a shower. Mother and Father will never know.”

“But doesn’t the garbage truck drive by today?” Emira asked.

“Well, yeah. But they usually get her at about 11:30, which is...” Edric pulled out his phone to check the time. “... 15 minutes!?”

Without another word, the Blight children made a mad dash out the door, and down the lengthy driveway. The run itself was only a minute long, but every second was precious time lost.

Amity was the first one to reach the gate. She turned to her right, and saw the dumpster open, and filled with trash. She climbed up, and saw the most unusual sight.

A white raven was picking through the trash, searching for shiny trinkets. Behind it, the raven dragged a large burlap sack filled with anything that it found worth collecting.

Amity was amazed. She knew that ravens were fairly intelligent birds, but she didn’t think that they had the ingenuity to use a bag to carry their findings, or even the strength to carry it all.

The raven stuck its beak into the trash, and pulled out a book. The cover was filthy, but Amity recognized its cover anywhere; _The Good Witch Azura, Book #1_.

“Hey! That’s mine!”

The raven acknowledged Amity’s presence by quickly stuffing the book into its bag, gripping it with its beak, then hopping out of the dumpster.

Amity leapt back down to the ground, then ran after the raven as it dragged its sack behind it.

It was at this exact moment that Edric and Emira had caught up with their little sister, only to see her bolt off.

“Hey Choco-mint, where are you going?” Edric called out. “The dumpster’s right here!”

“An albino raven took Book One!” Amity cried back. “I’m going after it!”

“Just let the bird take it!” Emira yelled. “It’ll be easier to just buy a new book!”

But Amity continued to give chase, following the raven into the neighboring woods.

“Well, while we’re waiting for her to come back,” Edric said, “let’s go dumpster diving for anything else our parents threw out!”

Emira watched with a look of repulsion as his brother climbed into the dumpster, and began digging through the trash with his bare hands. “I’ll just... watch out for the garbage truck,” she said.

“Hey, why did you throw out your copy of Pokémon Black?” Edric asked as he unearthed a game cartridge.

“I don’t know, Ed, Why would I throw out my-- wait, what?”  
  


* * *

  
Despite being loaded with trash, the sack seemed to do little, if anything, to hinder the raven’s escape. Amity was only barely able to keep up with the small bird as they ran through the forest.

After a short pursuit, Amity found herself standing in front of a house in the middle of the forest. The house looked like it had been abandoned for decades, if not centuries. The windows were broken, there was a hole in the roof, and there were traces of graffiti on the front door, which lazilly hung open on one hinge. The interior of the house was obstructed by a blinding white light that shone through the front door.

Amity stared in awe at the decrepit building. She wondered if the rest of her family knew about it.

_CREEK CREEK CREEEK_

Amity snapped back to reality when she heard the sound of the raven hopping up the rotting stairs, onto the porch. She steeled her nerves, and ran straight into the house.

She lunged through the front entrance, into the light, and grabbed the sack. But the raven had a tight grip in its beak, and refused to let go.

“Look, I just want my copy of The Good Witch Azura back, alright?” she cried as she played tug-of-war with the bird over the sack of trash. “Everything else, you can keep for your... nest?”

Amity looked around the room. Contrasting with the house’s exterior, the interior looked tidy, bright, and most importantly, lived in. She and the raven were standing next to a lit fireplace, which made the room feel warm and cozy. The wooden floor had a thick, fuzzy rug. The mantle had an assortment of weapons and trinkets, most of which carried a medieval fantasy theme, but Amity noticed a few standouts, most strangely a toy lightsaber and a Nerf gun. A bookshelf spread across the entire wall opposite from the fireplace, filled with a rainbow of books and tomes, most of which Amity had never seen before.

“Wow,” she thought out loud, “this place looks much nicer on the inside.”

Awestruck, she loosened her grip on the sack, allowing the raven to pull it away. It ran straight ahead, toward an archway that led into the rest of the shack.

“Hey!”

Amity started to run after it once again, but stopped when she saw something standing in the archway.

It was a small red imp, with pointed ears, and hair that looked like a hand was grasping her entire head, covering her right eye. She wore a faded black dress that looked like it had once belonged to a preschool student. She carried a cup of tea and a saucer. She was about to take a sip when Amity had run through the door. She was now staring at the girl, her tea pouring out of the cup, all over her dress. 

Amity stared at the imp, unsure what to say, until she noticed that the raven was hiding behind the imp.

Amity coughed, then spoke, “Uh, hey, sorry to trespass on your property, but your pet raven took my book, and I would really like it back--”

The imp carefully placed her cup of tea on a conveniently placed desk, turned back into the house, and yelled, “MISS LILLITH! THERE’S A HUMAN IN THE HOUSE!”

“A what?” a woman’s voice called back.

Amity decided that it was best that she left now. Whatever she had walked into, it was clearly not worth the trouble of getting her book back. She turned back toward the entrance, determined to put as much distance between her and the imp as possible.

The imp raised a tiny clawed hand, and drew a small circle in the air in front of her.

Before Amity could take another step, she tripped and fell down onto the soft rug. She looked down at her foot, and saw that vines had burst through the floor and wrapped themselves around her foot. 

_How is that possible?_ she thought.

Footsteps creaked.

Amity looked back toward the imp, and saw the shadow of another figure that was approaching the scene.

“Miss Lillith,” the imp cheerfully said, “a human followed Luna through the portal. I ruined the floor, but I caught her before she could run away!”

A tall, pale-skinned woman stepped into view. Amity saw that she had pointed ears, straight black hair, and wore cracked round glasses over her light blue eyes. She wore a black dress, and had a bright blue gem decorating her chest. In one hand, she carried a long wooden staff. Amity couldn’t help but wonder if this woman was an elf - it seemed outlandish, but she had already seen a raven carry a sack three times its size filled with trash and an imp that could apparently summon vines from the floor, so as far as she was concerned, the existence of elves wasn’t out of the question right now.

The woman smiled as she picked up the raven with her free hand. “Well, Luna, looks like you brought in quite the haul today. Good bird.” She placed the raven atop her staff, and turned it clockwise. Amity watched in amazement as the raven turned from a living creature into a decorative headpiece for the woman’s staff. The woman then pulled a bronze key from out of her pocket, then pressed a button on it.

Amity heard a slam, and turned her attention back to the entrance. The door was now shut, and was folding itself into the shape of a suitcase, which flew over her, and into the hands of the imp.

She began desperately threatening/pleading with the woman and the imp. “Look, I’m sure you’ve heard the name ‘Blight’ before, right? Richest and most prestigious family in the state? Of course you’ve heard of the Blight family, you’re only a short walk from the manor. So you probably know that you’d have to be mad to interfere with us. Though I guess you probably are, considering that you live in the middle of the forest. Did I mention that we’re rich? My parents will give you anything! You want money? Employment? Just let me go, and I’ll put in a good word for you...”

“Can I please shut her up?” the imp asked.

The woman shook her head. “No, Kikimora. Let her go, and let me talk to her.”

The imp sighed, and drew another circle with her claw. The vines released their grip on Amity’s foot, and sunk back into the ground.

The woman bent over the prone Amity, analyzing her. “Those ears... you _are_ a human.”

“And... who are you?” Amity asked.

“Oh, where are my manners? Welcome to the Raven House. Most people call me The Raven Woman, but my name is Lilith. And this is my assistant, Kikimora. What is your name?” 

The woman offered her hand. Amity hesitantly took it.

“I’m... Amity.”

Lilith pulled Amity off the ground, up to her feet. “Well, Amity, your timing could not have been better. Kikimora and I have a little problem. One that, it just so happens, requires a human to solve.”

“Oh.” She looked around, trying to think of what to say next. “Well, how long is this going to take? I need to catch a ride to the airport, or I’ll miss my flight to London.”

Kikimora whispered, “What’s an airport?” quietly enough that she hoped the human in front of her didn’t hear. Lilith ignored her.

“Don’t worry, Amity. This won’t take too long. You’ll be back in your world before you know it.”

“My world? What do you mean, ‘my world?’ Are we... not on Earth?”

“Perhaps it would be easier if I showed you.” Lilith walked past Amity, then opened another door, gesturing to the outside.

Amity was shocked to find that the dense green wilderness she remembered was gone. The house was now situated at the edge of a cliff, surrounded by red-leaved trees, not far from the shore of a bubbling purple sea. In the distance, Amity spotted massive rock formations that looked almost like titanic bones sticking out from the ground.

She turned back to the house. It was completely different from the house she had run into. The stained glass windows were fully intact, the walls were clean of any vandalism, and a stone tower loomed behind it.

“Welcome to the Boiling Isles,” Lilith said. “This is the home of every single one of your human myths. Here, you’ll find witches, demons, gryphons, vampires... what else?”

“Giraffes?” Kikimora suggested.

“Oh, not giraffes. I mean, they used to be here, but they all got banished a long time ago.”

“Okay, I think I get it now,” Amity said. “I followed your bird into another world. Can I just take my book back and go home now?”

“Sure!” Kikimora said. “Once you help us first.”

Amity looked down at the imp, then up at Lilith, who nodded in agreement. She took a breath.

“Fine. What is it you need my help with?”

* * *

  
“Why did I agree to this!?” Amity cried out.

Kikimora shushed her. “Do you want us to get caught!?”

They were on Lilith’s staff flying outside the Conformitorium; a massive prison that, according to Lilith, held many criminals in its walls. Some were dangerous, others... not so much.

“So here’s the plan,” Lilith said. “Kikimora’s book is being kept in a room somewhere near the top of that tower, behind a barrier that only a human will be able to pass through.”

“There! In that window right there!” Kikimora pointed down toward a window, into a room with a glowing white light inside.

Lilith smiled. “Perfect. We’re going to fly down there, and you’re going to go in, grab the book, and then we’ll be gone before Warden Wrath even notices that we’re here.”

“But won’t they spot us flying into the tower?” Amity pointed out.

“Oh, don’t worry. Kikimora will handle that in just a minute.”

Kikimora nodded, then closed her eyes as she drew a spell circle above her. The circle grew and enveloped the three of them, and Amity watched in amazement as her body disappeared from sight, along with the two witches.

“An invisibility spell,” she heard Kikimora’s voice say. “Basic Illusion magic. No one will be able to see us. However, once you touch the barrier, the spell will be broken, so you’ll need to act fast.”

“Now hold tight,” said Lilith.

The staff began to point downward, then soared straight towards the tower. Lilith was certain that they were going to fly straight through the tower window. 

Unfortunately, her aim was just slightly off.

The staff bonked against the bottom of the window, causing the three to panic as they were launched off of the staff, through the window, and onto the floor.

Kikimora groaned as she picked herself up off of the floor. “Miss Lilith,” she said, “while I admire your daring, I believe you forgot to account for the added weight of our human passenger.”

“Quiet! Listen.”

They listened.

The room was silent, save for the soft hum of the barrier that held their prize.

“I don’t think anyone heard us,” Lilith whispered. “We’re safe.”

Amity’s eyes widened. She remembered back to her childhood, when she and her siblings accidentally broke an expensive vase in the manor. At first, they thought that they were in the clear, but just before they had finished cleaning the mess, the shadow of their mother suddenly loomed over them, and gave them a very stern lecture, and punished them with a night sleeping outside.

“Well, what are you waiting for, Human?” 

“What?” Amity looked around for Kikimora, forgetting about the invisibility spell.

“The barrier. My book. Remember?”

“Oh, right.” Amity got up on her feet, then walked up to the barrier. “So, I just walk through here, right?”

“That’s the idea,” Lilith replied.

Amity took a deep breath, then raised a hand to the barrier. As soon as she touched it, she felt a spark. The invisibility spell broke, and Amity could see her hand being held just outside of the barrier. She touched it again. This time, she only felt a light tickle as her fingers passed through, as if it were a cloud of fog. She walked through the barrier.

As she gazed upon the mountain of trash that stood before her, Amity suddenly heard a ding from her pocket. She pulled out her phone, and saw that she had received a text from Emira.

> **Emira**  
>  Hey Choco-mint, are you lost in the woods? You’ve been gone for over an hour.

_Oh no._

According to her phone, it was now 12:38. How had so much time passed so quickly? She needed to hurry.

She quickly replied to her sister’s message;

> **Amity (you)**  
>  Not lost. Long story. About to get Azura back.

“Amity?” Lilith called out. “Are you alright in there? Are you still alive?”

“Uh, yes,” Amity replied as she stuffed her phone back into her pocket, and began scaling the pile of confiscated artifacts. “I’m just... uh... what book am I looking for?”

“My book!” Kikimora cried out. “It’s my source of ancient knowledge and wisdom!”

Lilith gave Kikimora a mocking glance. “Really? Ancient knowledge and wisdom?”

“Okay, maybe not. But it’s my favourite book, and I don’t want to lose it!”

“Thank you, Kikimora,” Amity said as she rolled her eyes. “That was a very helpful description.”

“It should have her name written on it,” Lilith said. “And there shouldn’t be too many books back there. Most of the books the Warden confiscates are burned.” She thought for a moment. “Actually, feel free to pick up any books that you find. There might be some forbidden knowledge that I can use.”

“I think I found it!”

“Quiet! And bring it out!”

Amity climbed down the pile, and proceeded to walk back out of the barrier. As she did, she analyzed the battered book in her hands more closely. At the top of the front cover was a piece of white tape with “KIKIMORA” written on it with black marker, along with a tiny drawing of a hand and an eye. The cover itself was covered with dirt, but she could make out the gold lettering that was the actual title of the book.

She read the title.

Then she read it again.

Then again, because she could not believe it.

 _The Good Witch Azura  
_ _Book #1_

She wiped off a patch of dust, and saw the image of Azura herself etched in the book’s cover.

Amity was floored. She knew from what little time she had spent on forums and discussion blogs that this was a limited edition copy of the book, which included an exclusive autobiography of the author, and how they came up with the story of Azura. Scalpers on Amazon sold this book for thousands of dollars to overeager collectors. Exactly how it came into Kikimora’s possession long enough for her to stick her name onto it was anyone’s guess.

The invisibility spell on Lilith and Kikimora ended, and the little imp rushed up to Amity’s feet. “That’s it! That’s the book! Please, give it to me!” she demanded.

“You read The Good Witch Azura?” Amity asked.

Kikimora sighed. “Look, I know that most people consider it ‘flowery,’ and ‘childish,’ but--”

“No, no, it's fine! I love The Good Witch Azura!”

The imp gazed up at the human as she took her book back. “You do?”

“Yeah! But... my parents think that I’ve gotten too old for it, and that I should throw out my collection. That way, I can ‘grow up.’”

“Sounds to me like your parents are the ones who need to ‘grow up,’” Lilith said.

Amity perked up. She had never heard anyone other than her siblings talk down her parents. 

Lilith knelt down to Amity, then continued, “Listen, no one can tell you what you can or cannot like. If you and Kikimora love reading about gay witches going on magical quests to fight evil, why should anyone stop you? You’re free to love whatever you want, and express that love however you wish.”

“Barring some exceptions,” the imp pointed out, “which we shall not name, else we risk this fic losing its General Audiences rating.”

“What did I tell you about breaking the fourth wall?”

“Sorry, Miss Lilith.”

“Anyways, where was I?”

“We got the book back, and now you’re going to give me my book so that I can go home?” Amity said.

“Ah, yes.” Lilith raised her hand, and her staff flew across the floor, into her grasp. “Let’s head home, before anyone finds out that we’re he--”

_THAWCK!_

Amity gasped in horror as Warden Wrath, a large, burly, hooded man wearing something akin to a plague doctor mask, decapitated Lilith with his axe-hand, sending her head sailing across the room.

“Lilith?” Amity spoke softly.

“Oooowwwwwwwww...” Lilith’s head groaned in pain. “Guess we weren’t as quiet as I thought.”

At the sound of her voice, Amity was shocked. “You’re still alive?”

“Yes. Regrettably.”

“Ugh, I think I’m gonna be sick.”

Kikimora was somewhat puzzled with Amity’s reaction. “What, do humans not cut off each other’s heads?”

“We haven’t done that in centuries,” Amity explained. “And we don’t usually survive having our head severed from the rest of our body.”

Warden Wrath’s axe hand shifted into a regular hand as he commanded the prison guards. “Seize the human and the imp! And put the Raven Woman’s body in chains.”

A guard charged at the headless body.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Kikimora yelled as she cast an ice spell at the guard’s feet, freezing him in place, while Lilith’s body proceeded to fly out the window on her staff.

Kikimora tried to cast another spell, but before she could finish drawing the spell circle, a guard tackled her, causing her to drop her book to the floor. Amity tried to pick the book back up, but another guard grabbed her wrist.

Warden Wrath walked over and picked up the limited edition copy of The Good Witch Azura. “I should thank you, imp. If you hadn’t carelessly dropped your precious book, I wouldn’t have been able to finally catch your master.”

His arm transformed into a mass of tentacles, which proceeded to tear the book apart.

“No!” Amity and Kikimora both cried out as they saw the torn remains fall to the ground.

“Now then...” Warden Wrath walked over to Lilith’s head, which still lay on the ground. “Lilith. I should toss you and your associates into a cell so that you can all rot...”

“... But you’re not going to do that, are you?” Lilith asked.

“Not necessarily.” He picked up Lilith’s head by her hair with one hand, while his other fished in his pockets. “I happen to be in a good mood, and I’ve always admired your cunning. So I’m going to make you a deal.” He pulled out a bouquet of flowers. “How would you like to go out with me?”

Kikimora sighed in disgust at the scene. Amity stared in confusion. A couple of the guards cheered the warden on.

Lilith was unamused. “I’m... sorry, what are you saying?”

“You go out on a date with me, and I promise I won’t lay a finger on your companions. How does that sound?”

“Don’t do it, Miss Lilith!” Kikimora called out. “He’s just trying to trick you! He’s a no good, dirty rotten--”

The guard holding the little imp grabbed one of her little arms, and stuck it in her mouth. “Keep quiet, imp. The adults are talking.”

She squirmed in the guard’s grasp, tried to protest that she was, in fact, an adult. But all that came out was, "Mmmph MMPH mm mmppphh!."

The warden quietly whispered to himself, “Happy place, good times, you’re a strong, confident warden, and no one can tell you otherwise.” He then turned back to Lilith, and asked again, “What do you say? Me and you? The Most Powerful Witch on the Boiling Isles, and the Fearsome Warden Wrath?”

Lilith scoffed, “First off, ew, no. Second, weren’t you dating my sister? What happened between you two?”

“Don’t you dare speak about Eda!” 

“Oof. She dumped you real hard, didn’t she?”

In a fit of rage, Warden Wrath screamed, and hurled Lilith’s head toward the guards that held Amity and Kikimora captive. They panicked, and tried to catch it, releasing their grasp on their captives.

Kikimora instantly cast an ice spell, freezing the guards in place, while Amity just barely managed to catch Lilith.

“You fools!” Warden Wrath screamed, “Why did you let them go!?” He bounded toward the group like a giant, angry gorilla. “You have left me no choice, Raven Woman. I’m going to tear all three of you limb from--”

It was at this exact moment that Lilith’s body flew back into the room, kicking in square in the back of the head, knocking him out.

Amity handed Lilith’s head back to her body, who promptly reattached it to her neck. “Alright, that’s enough excitement for one day,” the witch said as she readied and sat on her staff. “Get on, and let’s fly out of here.” 

“But what about the book?” Amity said, gesturing towards the pile of torn paper on the ground.

“I hate to say it, but it’s as good as gone,” Kikimora said. “Now get on, before--”

In the distance, a guard yelled, “Initiating Lockdown!” At once, the windows in the room were magically slammed and sealed shut.

“Aw, heck,” the imp cursed.

“How are we going to get out now?” Amity asked as she found a seat on the staff.

Lilith sighed. “We’ll just have to fight our way out.”

She kicked off the ground, and the staff flew down the hall.

“But I can’t cast magic or anything!”

“Which is why I’m giving you this.” Lilith reached into pocket, and pulled out the key to the human realm, which she handed to Amity. “Just find a quiet spot, then use this to go home.”

“But what about you two?”

“We’ll be fine.”

“Besides,” Kikimora added as the staff lifted into the air, “If you thought that guy was bad, you should have seen her last boyfriend.”

They flew down the hall, and into the prison’s atrium. A stone brick ramp spiraled up and down the circular wall, which was stuffed with prison cells, nearly all of them containing at least one prisoner.

“Good luck,” said Lilith, “and farewell, Amity.”

She and Kikimora dismounted the staff in mid-flight, and descended upon the group of prison guards, leaving Amity to panic.

“Wait! I don’t know how to fly this thing!”

The staff took a downward nosedive, plummeting down several floors. Amity firmly grasped the staff, and tried to pull upwards. The staff swung straight up, and Amity lost her seat. She held onto the staff with her eyes closed tight as it lazily spun around in the air. She tried to pull herself back up, but ended up hanging upside down like a bat.

“Don’t look down, don’t look down, don’t look down, don’t look down, don’t look down, don’t look--”

Amity dared to open one eye, and look straight down.

She was hovering just a few decimeters off of the ground.

She breathed a sigh of relief, and relaxed her grip. In response, the staff stopped flying, and Amity was caught off guard when she suddenly landed on the stone brick below.

“Hey, kid!” a voice called out.

Amity looked over to see that one of the prisoners was trying to get her attention from his cell. He was tall, bald, dark skinned, and wore a silk dress and heavy makeup.

“How did you get out of your cell?” the prisoner asked.

“Oh, I’m not actually a prisoner,” Amity explained. “You see, I came with the Raven Woman, and--”

“THE RAVEN WOMAN!?” another prisoner exclaimed.

Amity turned to the next cell, and saw a humanoid rat wearing a green jacket and glasses, carrying a spherical crystal fruit. “Are you talking about Lilith, the Raven Woman?”

“Uh... yeah.”

“Dude, we owe her one! Help us out!”

Amity looked around. There didn’t seem to be any guards nearby, so she quickly ran over to the cells, and pushed the lever in front of each, causing them to open. The two prisoners eagerly stepped out.

“We’re free!” The first prisoner exclaimed. He then turned to Amity, and asked, “Where’s the Raven Woman?”

“Somewhere upstairs,” Amity explained, pointing upwards. “She stayed behind to fight the guards while I escaped.”

“We have to help her!” the ratman declared as he carefully rubbed his crystal fruit. “But what can we do? We’re not exactly fighters!”

Amity gazed around, and saw all the other prisoners in their cells, watching the events unfold. She had an idea. It was crazy, stupid, and undoubtedly a terrible idea if you didn’t want to be on the wrong side of the law... but it might just work.

She smiled, and asked, “How do you guys feel about starting a prison riot?”

Lilith raised her arms, pointing in opposite directions, and simultaneously drew two spell circles. From each, a pillar of blue fire shot out, blasting the guards that surrounded her and Kikimora, who tried to protect them by summoning walls of ice. The prison guards continued to swarm around the two witches in a seemingly endless wave.

“Kikimora,” Lilith said, “let’s bounce.”

At once, Kikimora huddled next to Lilith. She pulled out a small pouch, and from it, she drew a pinch of powdered spores. She dropped the spores onto the floor, and drew a spell circle above them. The ground rumbled, and a giant mushroom sprouted beneath the two witches, bouncing them away from the mob, up to a higher platform. The guards quickly gave chase on foot, while the witches ran further up the tower.

“Miss Lilith, there’s too many of them! We can’t possibly fight off all of them!”

“We don’t need to. We just need to release the lockdown.”

“And how do we do that?”

“I’m working on it--”

A blast of fire appeared in front of the witches, causing them to stop in their tracks.

“I’m not letting you get away so easily!”

Warden Wrath landed in the now-scorched spot. His mask was removed, revealing a toothy maw that consisted of most of the retail space on his face. His arms had transformed into two masses of writhing tentacles, which spread across the path, preventing the witches from passing.

“Wow,” Lilith said, impressed. “You’re tougher than I thought.”

She drew a spell circle, and shot a ball of fire at the warden. He quickly dodged, and shot another blast of fire from his mouth. It hit Kikimora almost dead on, knocking her back, and onto the floor.

“Kikimora!” Lilith cried.

Kikimora struggled to get back up. As she did, she saw the wave of guards that was fast approaching them.

“This is the end, Raven Woman. Finally, I will enact justice, and put an end to your miserable life of crime, in the name of the Emperor!”

“Don’t think that I’m going to go down without a fight,” Lilith warned as she drew another spell circle.

But before she could complete it, there was a low rumble, and the tower began to shake.

Lilith, Kikimora, and Warden Wrath looked downwards, and saw a huge mob of prisoners charging up, overtaking the guards from behind. With every cell they passed, they opened it and added a new member to their group.

The warden gasped. He and the guards were so focused on capturing Lilith, that they neglected to maintain security across the entire of the prison, allowing the human to free the prisoners and start a riot.

Enraged, he charged at Lilith. She nimbly jumped over him, and fired a shot at his backside. He turned around and tried to grab her, but Kikimora froze him with an ice spell. The ice wasn’t strong enough to keep him contained, but it did hold him long enough for Lilith to get out of reach.

“Sorry, Warden,” Lilith said, tauntingly. “It looks like your justice will have to wait a bit longer.”

Warden Wrath growled, and was about to charge at the Raven Woman again, when the rioting prisoners finally reached the scene.

Amity flew above the crowd on Lilith’s staff, leading them into the fray. “Get him!” she commanded.

Without question, the prisoners jumped the warden, knocking him down, and tying his tentacles behind his back.

Amity, still learning how to fly a staff, awkwardly landed on the floor, then marched up to the warden. She held the raven end of Lilith’s staff to his head, then ordered him to release the lockdown.

The warden sighed in defeat. “Just touch that panel over there, and the building will open back up.”

One of the prisoners did just that, and the windows all reopened.

At once, several hundred prisoners charged outside, many of them proudly exclaiming “We’re free!”

“Get back here!” the warden commanded as he struggled to get back onto his feet. “There’s no place for you outside the Conformitorium! You don’t belong anywhere! You’ll be back soon enough!”

Amity gave Lilith back her staff, then they and Kikimora hopped on and soared away.

Kikimora looked down at the prisoners swarming out of the prison, overtaking the guards. “Well,” she commented, “that’s probably going to come back to bite us in the future.”

“I have to admit,” Lilith said, addressing the human, “that was a pretty bold move, releasing all of the prisoners at once.”

“Yeah!” Kikimora added. “Seeing the warden get beat down like that? That was almost worth losing my favourite book forever! Almost.”

“I can hardly believe I just did that,” Amity said. “I started a prison riot. And I got away with it! I’m probably a wanted criminal now. If they ever catch me, I’ll be so dead. Can we do it again?”

“No,” Lilith said sharply. “Sorry, but I’ve had enough excitement for one day. Now let’s head home so that we can give you your book back.”

* * *

>   
> **Emira**  
>  The limo’s here, and the driver’s getting antsy. Where are you?
> 
> **Amity (you)**  
>  Hold on. I’ll be back in just a minute.
> 
> **Emira**  
>  Hurry!  
> Edric’s trying to stall, but I don’t think the driver will tolerate much more.  
> I think he's in a bad mood.

As Lilith pressed on the eye of the key to summon the door to the human realm, Kikimora began digging through the sack of trash from this morning.

“So what did your book look like?” the imp asked as she pulled out a rubber duck toy and an empty bottle of soap.

Amity looked up from her phone, and walked over to Kikimora. “Actually, I was thinking I’d let you borrow it for a while. I know it won’t replace your copy, but--”

“Don’t be silly!” Kikimora snapped. “Why would I want to read your... book...” Her voice trailed off when she pulled out a book, and read the title.

 _The Good Witch Azura  
_ _Book #1_

Her eyes widened. She looked up at Amity, who smiled and nodded. Tears began to swell in the imp’s eyes as she held the book close to her chest.

“Human Amity, I solemnly swear that I will defend this book with my life.”

“Hopefully, you won't have to. But I trust that you will.”

Lilith opened the door to the human realm. “Well, I believe this is where we part ways,” she said.

Amity took a deep breath, and stepped toward the door. She stopped at the boundary, then turned toward the two witches she had just adventured with.

“Well,” she said. “Even though we almost got killed, I can’t say it hasn’t been fun—“

What would have been a tender moment was ruined when Amity’s phone suddenly rang.

“ _DO YOU LIKE WAFFLES? Yeah we like waffles! DO YOU LIKE PANCAKES? Yeah we like pancakes! DO YOU LIKE FRENCH TOAST? Yeah we like —_ ”

Amity groaned, and looked at her phone to see that Edric was calling her. She answered it. A video feed of him and Emira appeared on the screen.

“Did you two change my ringtone again?” were the first words to come out of Amity’s mouth.

Edric smirked. “Mmmmaybe.”

“Edric!” Emira said as she bumped his shoulder. 

“Ah, right.” He cleared his throat. “Choco-mint, I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is, you don’t have to worry about missing the limo anymore!”

Amity sighed. “Just tell me that I missed the limo.”

“I tried to hold it for as long as I could! But then the driver recognized me as the guy who threw a pie at his kid’s face, then he said some very rude things, and left.”

“Where are you, sis?” Emira asked. “Are you still in the forest?”

“Uh... yes and no? You’re not gonna believe this, but I’ve found a portal to another world here.”

As Amity talked on her phone, Kikimora whispered to Lilith, “What’s that strange plastic rectangle that the human’s talking into?”

“Don’t know,” Lilith responded. “But if I had to make a guess, I’d probably say it’s the human equivalent of those scrolls that all the younger witches are carrying around.”

“Okay, whatever,” Emira said, “just come back and I’ll drive you to the airport. I might have to break the speed limit a little, but I should be able to get you there before your flight leaves.”

“Alright, I’m coming home now.” Amity was about to end the call, but then she looked back at Lilith and Kikimora. She was going to say goodbye, but then she again saw her copy of _The Good Witch Azura_ in Kikimora’s hands.

Meanwhile, Kikimora continued to whispering to Lilith, “Do you think we could visit her? In the human realm?”

“You know she can probably hear you, right?”

An idea came to Amity. It may have been a stupid idea, and given what little she had seen of the Boiling Isles, it might have been suicidal. But the more she mulled it over, the more appealing it sounded. From where she stood, it was either to go back to her rich girl life under her strict parents, or...

“Choco-mint?” Emira called from Amity’s phone. “Is something wrong?”

“Why are you staring like that?” Edric asked. “Is there a bear or something?”

“Amity! If you’re in trouble, blink three times!”

“Oh, I’m fine.” Amity said. “Just... give me a minute. I’ll call you back.”

She ended the call, then addressed the witches before her, “Okay, I know this is going to seem sudden, but I’m supposed to catch a flight to London--

“No, you may not borrow my staff.”

“I- I wasn’t finished.”

“Sorry. Continue.”

Amity took a breath. “My parents are sending me to London so that I can study abroad at this top school. But the only reason I’m looking forward to it is because I finally have a chance to get away from my parents. London is fine, from what I’ve heard, but it’s not... magical. And I don’t have any friends there.”

“Where are you going with this?” Lilith asked.

“I want to stay here on the Boiling Isles, with you two. That way, I can stay away from my parents, and study a new topic - magic!”

“You want to study magic?” Lilith chuckled. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but humans can’t cast magic.”

“Well, has anyone ever actually tried?”

Lilith opened her mouth to make an argument, but then she thought about Amity’s words. “You actually make a good point.”

“Miss Lilith,” Kikimora said, “I would like it if the human could stay with us. At the very least, she can help around the house. And it would be nice to have some company while you’re out.”

“What about Cawrson? He’s company.”

“But he’s so _creepy_! He always just sits there... watching...”

“Uh, who’s Cawrson?” Amity asked.

“Oh, Cawrson’s the demon that protects the house from unwanted intruders. Usually solicitors.”

Kikimora suddenly pointed at the window, and loudly whispered, “There he is!”

Lilith and Amity turned to see the face of a raven on the end of a long tube, standing just outside the window, staring inside. After a full ten seconds, all three of them watched as Cawrson retracted away from the window. Lilith drew a tiny spell circle, causing the window curtain to roll down, and they all silently agreed that it was _very_ creepy.

“Alright, you two have twisted my wing. Amity, I’ll let you stay here, and even teach you what I can about magic. But in exchange, you’ll be assisting me with some of my own research. Deal?”

Lilith held out her hand, offering to shake. Amity confidently took it.  
  


* * *

  
Edric and Emira trudged through the forest, carrying Amity’s bags, as well as a bag filled with the remainder of Amity’s _The Good Witch Azura_ collection, which they had managed to salvage from the trash..

“Why are we doing this?” Emira asked. 

“Because we love our baby sister?” Edric replied.

“Yeah, but camping in the woods? Ever since that night when we broke the vase, she hated sleeping outside. She’s clearly trying to get back at us with some elaborate prank.”

“Oooorrr maybe she found a nice house that just happened to be in the middle of the forest. Come on, Em, you can stand to be a little more optimistic.”

They entered the clearing, and saw the abandoned house.

“Well, this must be it,” Emira said.

“What? No, no, there must be a mistake,” Edric said. “Maybe we got the directions wrong.”

Emira pulled out her phone, and reread the texts from their younger sister. “No, the directions clearly say ‘go straight to the abandoned house, and drop the bags on the porch.’”

Edric took the phone out of his sister’s hands, and read Amity’s directions himself. “I take it back," he said. "This is definitely a prank.”

The twins proceeded to the porch, and dropped the bags in front of the door, which looked like its only remaining hinge might fail at any moment. They sat down on the porch step, and Emira texted Amity to let her know that they were here.

“What kind of prank do you think Amity’s trying to pull here?” Edric asked.

Emira shrugged. “Whatever it is, I hope she realizes that she’s definitely going to miss her flight by now.”

A bright light appeared behind the twins, followed by the sound of two sets of footsteps. The twins turned to see Amity walk out of the light inside the house, followed by what looked to be some kind of imp.

“Hey guys,” Amity said, nonchalantly. “This is Kikimora. Kikimora, these are my older siblings, Edric and Emira Blight.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Amity’s human siblings!” Kikimora said cheerfully.

The twins stared at their sister and the imp in complete astonishment.

“Anyways, thanks for bringing me my luggage,” Amity said as Kikimora drew a spell circle, and the bags all began to levitate inside. “I’ll text you guys later. Feel free to visit me on Sunday!”

With that, she waved goodbye, and both she and the imp walked back into the light, which promptly disappeared, leaving no trace of either the girl or the imp.

Edric and Emira continued to stare at the now-empty house, their mouths agape.

Emira turned to her brother, and screamed, “What the french toast just happened!?”

**Author's Note:**

> Would you believe me if I told you that I wrote this fic just because I wanted a swap AU that included Kikimora?
> 
> In case it wasn't obvious, in this story, Lilith swaps places with Eda, Amity and her family swaps with Luz and her mother, and Kikimora swaps with King.
> 
> I might write a bit more for this AU later, because I want to flesh out the lives of our swapped characters a bit more (especially Luz!). Future episodes will most likely not be entire episode rewrites, and hopefully won't be nearly as long either.
> 
> Regardless, thank you very much for reading! Please feel free leave a comment below. Praise is great, but criticism is even better, if you have any.


End file.
